Splicing heat deformable yarns

ABSTRACT

Shown is apparatus for fusing together pairs of thermally deformable yarn ends, each pair comprising a first yarn end wound on a multiple-yarn beam and a second yarn end. The apparatus comprises a first thermally insulating multiply-dented comb-like member releasably mountable adjacent the beam and extending the full length of the beam for receiving a single yarn end from the beam in each dent. A second multiply-dented comb-like member is provided for receiving the second yarn end of each pair in the individual dents thereof for transfer to the individual dents of the first comb-like member. Means are provided for applying heat successively to the pairs adjacent the first comb-like member.

United States Patent 11 1 Brooks Feb. 19, 1974 SPLICING HEAT DEFORMABLE YARNS Prima ExaminerWilliam A. Powell 75 I t 1 ChrlesT.B0ok s 11, 1 men or r ummervl e Attorney, Agent, or FirmH. L. Kirkpatrick [73] Assignee: lShelow-Santord, Inc., Greenville, [57] ABSTRAT I Shown is apparatus for fusing together pairs of ther- [22] Flled' June 1972 mally deformable yarn ends, each pair comprising a [21] Appl. No.: 267,245 first yarn end wound on a multiple-yarn beam and a second yarn end. The apparatus comprises a first thermally insulating multiply-dented comb-like member [52] US. Cl 1l5566/423936, 115566] 155082, 115564155494, releasably mountable adjacent the beam and extend 51 I t Cl B65h 08 ing the full length of the beam for receiving a single 158 159 6 296 yarn end from the beam in each dent. A second multi- 1 0 can: l 8 ply-dented comb-like member is provided for receiving the second yarn end of each pair in the individual 5 6 R t d dents thereof for transfer to the individual dents of the 1 e erences first comb-like member. Means are provided for ap- UNITED STATES PATENTS plying heat successively to the pairs adjacent the first 3,055,786 9/1962 Hendrix 156/158 comb-like member. 3,695,975 10/1972 Williams..... 156/158 X 3,741,836 6/1973 Williams 156/158 3 (318M514 Drawmg Figures SPLICING HEAT DEFORMABLE YARNS This invention relates to apparatus for splicing pairs of thermally deformable yarn ends by fusing together the same.

In the manufacture of tufted carpet, the tufting machine is supplied with a large number (e.g., 1,100) of individual yarn ends from a series of yarn beams. In a typical operation there may be ten yarn beams each supplying 1 or more individual yarn ends to the tufting machine. When a beam becomes exhausted and beam change is required, the 1,100 individual yarn ends from the tufting needles must be paired with and joined to 1,100 fresh yarn ends from new yarn beams. The typical prior art techniques of knotting, latex splicing, or yarn fusing require a large input of labor. Efforts to mechanize this operation have resulted in complex and expensive apparatus.

In view of the foregoing, it is a principal oject of the present invention to provide a method of, and apparatus for achieving the splicing of the large number of pairs of yarn ends so as to substantially reduce the required labor and yet avoid the necessity of complex and expensive machinery.

Apparatus constructed according to the invention includes a first thermally insulating comb-like member releasably mountable on a beam supporting frame adjacent the beam. The member extends the full length of the beam and is located to receive each of the yarn ends from the beam in separate dents. A second similar comblike member is provided for receiving the second yarn end of each pair to be spliced in the individual dents of that second member, for transfer of those yarn ends to the individual dents of the first comb-like member. Hand-held means are provided for providing heat successively to the pairs of yarn ends at locations adjacent the first member.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken together with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is-a side elevation of a frame supporting a pair of yarn beams and a portion of apparatus constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of apparatus constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2A is a further enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an additional portion of apparatus constructed according to the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a frame 10 which includes upper cross member 11 and which rotatably supportsyarn beams 12 and 14 in journals 13. The frame is provided with casters 16 so that spent beams may be easily removed from the vicinity of the tufting machine (not shown) and fresh beams wheeled into place. As mentioned above, the tufting machine itself may be up to feet wide, requiring ten frame-supported beams to supply it, each beam 12 or 14 being wound with 110 separate yarn ends.

As shown in FIG. 1, apparatus constructed according to the invention is mounted adjacent beam 12 for splicing each of the 110 individual yarn ends wound on beam 12 to the associated yarn end which extends from the tufting machine (these latter yarn ends having been severed from the spent beam and the beam wheeled out of the way). While in the end view of FIG. 1 only the end pair of yarn ends is visible, it will be understood that a multiplicity (e.g., 1 10) of such pairs are actually present. The yarn end from the fresh beam 12 is indicated at 18 and the yarn end extending from the tufting machine is indicated at 20. (The yarn end 20 hangs vertically, along with all other yarn ends extending from the tufting machine, from elevated supporting members about which the yarn ends are trained between the supply beams and the tufting machine. These dangling yarn ends are often referred to as sheet.) The terminal portions of yarn ends 18 and 20 are adhered to strips of adhesive tape 22, 24 respectively. Each strip of tape 22, 24 extends the width of beam 12 and each has the appropriate set of yarns adhered thereto with a uniform, predetermined spacing (e.g., one-half inch) between adjacent yarns on each tape.

Each pair of yarn ends 18, 20 is retained in a dent in a comb-like member 26 which extends the length of beam 12. As best seen in FIG. 2, the member 26 is attached to the base 28 of a U-shaped rod 30. Rods 32 and 34 also extend the length of beam 12 and are parallel to the base portion 28 of rod 30. The rods 32 and 34 are rigidly attached to the legs 36 of rod 30 by rigid plates 38 which are permanently secured to the legs 36.

The member 26 is formed from a heat-resistant plastic. A multiplicity of dents 40 are provided in the upper surface 42 of the member 26. There are as many dents 40 as yarn ends 18 of the beam 12 (e.g., 110 in the example above). As best seen in FIG. 2A, each dent 40 includes a circular portion 44 having its center spaced one-half inch from the surface 42. A slot 46 of less width than the diameter of circular portion 44 communicates with the circular portion 44. The slot 46 flares to providea wider mouth 48 for the dent at the surface 42. Neighboring pairs of dents 40 have a center-tocenter spacing of one-half inch.

A second comb-like member 50 (see FIG. 3) is provided having a like number of similarly shaped and spaced dents 40a. Also provided are means for applying heat to the thermally deformable fusible yarn ends 18, 20, those means preferably being in the form of a hand-held electrical resistive heater 52 (see FIG. I).

Ths splicing of the yarn ends using apparatus according to the invention occurs as follows. As the supply of yarns on the set of ten beams supplying a tufting machine are almost exhausted, the machine is stopped and the 1 l0 yarn ends from each beam are secured to a single strip of adhesive tape 24 and then cut below the location of the tape. The tapes 24 thus serve, for each individual sheet of l 10 yarn ends, to preserve the approximate spacing of one-half inch between adjacent yarn ends 20. With a fresh beam 12 in place adjacent the hanging set of 110 taped yarn ends, the comb-like member 26 is mounted adjacent the beam 12 by insertingthe legs 36 of rod 30 over journals l3 and under cross-member 11 of the frame l0.'With the legs 36 fully inserted such that rods32 and 34 are immediately adjacent the beam 12, the member 26 is appropriately positioned to conveniently receive the associated pairs of yarn ends to be spliced.

As is conventional, each fresh beam 12 is provided with the individual yarn ends 18 adhered to a single strip of adhesive tape 22 with the appropriate spacing (i.e., one-half inch) maintained between each pair of neighboring yarn ends. Using the strip of tape 22 as a handle and guide, it is a simple matter to thread the entire set of 110 yarn ends 18 over rod 34 and then over the upper edge 42 of member 26. Because the appropriate spacing between yarn ends 18 has been maintained by the tape 22, the yarn ends may be conveniently manually drawn into dents 40 in a one-to-one relationship As shown in FIG. 1, the 110 yarn ends 20 are drawn beneath rod 32 and then over surface 42 of member 26. Because the spacings between neighboring pairs of yarn ends 20 may vary slightly from the one-half inch spacing required for convenient insertion into dents 40 of member 26, member 50 is employed to assist in aligning of the yarn ends 20 with the appropriate dent 40 in member 26 (as well as to simplify the entrainment of the set of yarns 20 beneath rod 32 and over member 26). At a location of the yarn ends 20 above the strip of tape 24, the member 50 is inserted behind the sheet of yarn ends 20 and the member 50 and the yarn ends 20 manipulated to cause insertion of yarn ends 20 into dents 40a in a one-to-one relationship. The member 50, with the yarn ends 20 retained in its dents 40a, is then brought around rod 32 and over surface 42 of member 26. Since the spacing of the dents of the members 50 and 26 is the same, the member 50 is employed to pull each of the 110 yarn ends 20 into the appropriate dent 40 of member 26 in a single operation. With the yarn ends 20 thus paired with the yarn ends 18 in the dents 40 of member 26, the member 50 is withdrawn.

The heater 52 is then manually drawn across the series of paired yarn ends 18, 20 immediately adjacent the member 26 where each pair of ends 18, 20 are held in contact with each other by the wedging force of the dent 40. The severed terminal portions of the sets of yarn ends 18, 20, as well as the strips of tape 22 and 24, merely drop to the floor and may be discarded. After the heater 52 is thus quickly drawn across the entire group of yarn pairs the splicing of the beam 12 has been completed and the member 26 and the rods to which it is attached may be withdrawn and stored on the frame 10 itself.

It is especially convenient to provide each frame with its own member 26 mountable as shown in FIG. 1 and to arrange all pairs of yarn ends to be spliced (from all ten beams 12) prior to employing the heater 52 to create the splices. In this way, a single quick pass of the heater 52 over the entire group of 1,100 pairs of yarn ends 18, 20 will complete the splicing of all the yarns required by the tufting machine.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments are within the scope of the invention in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for fusing together pairs of thermally deformable yarnends, each pair comprising a first yarn end wound on a multiple-yarn beam and a second yarn end, the apparatus comprising a first thermally insulating multiply-dented comb-like member releasably mountable adjacent said beam and extending the full length of said beam for receiving a single yarn end from said beam in each said dent, a second multiply-dented comb-like member for receiving the second yarn end of each said pair in the individual dents thereof for transfer of said second yarn ends to the individual dents of said first comb-like member, and means for applying heat successively to said pairs adjacent said first comb- 

1. Apparatus for fusing together pairs of thermally deformable yarn ends, each pair comprising a first yarn end wound on a multiple-yarn beam and a second yarn end, the apparatus comprising a first thermally insulating multiply-dented comb-like member releasably mountable adjacent said beam and extending the full length of said beam for receiving a single yarn end from said beam in each said dent, a second multiply-dented comb-like member for receiving the second yarn end of each said pair in the individual dents thereof for transfer of said second yarn ends to the individual dents of said first comb-like member, and means for applying heat successively to said pairs adjacent said first comb-like member.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for applying heat comprise a hand-held electric resistance heater.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each dent of said first comb-like member comprises a portion removed from the adjacent edge of said member which is of greater cross-sectional area than portions closer to said edge. 